What is Winter Arc? A Deep Dive into the New Viral Challenge

Get a head start on your New Year’s fitness goals and keep active through the cold winter months with TikTok’s toughest new wellness challenge. This is how.

As legend – and Urban Dictionary – tells us: The Winter Arc is “A time where every man must face the mental and physical challenges of winter. A time to put your head down and get things done.”

Man or woman, the latest TikTok fitness trend has already stacked up 319.8K views (#winterarc) and is essentially about setting good habits to keep you motivated and fit throughout winter, helping you get a head start on those January resolutions in the process. 

Instead of hibernating with the heating and your baggiest jumper on, it’s about getting up and getting active to improve both your mental and physical health – especially so when a third of Brits are said to suffer from SAD during the darker days.

What could be a better cure than getting the endorphins flowing? 

This might mean now’s the time you finally join that run club. Or maybe you’re committed to a quick HIIT session every day before work. Maybe you want to overhaul your diet at a time when we’re usually hibernating with less nutritious options. Or maybe you want to set a new squat PB by the New Year.

That’s the beauty of the Winter Arc: everyone’s is different. As long as you’re setting goals, developing healthy habits and working towards self improvement, you’re in your Winter Arc era. 

Excited to start on your own Winter Arc? Here’s everything you need to know to build long-lasting habits for winter, and beyond.  

When did Winter Arc start?

Winter Arc is actually quite a new thing, so don’t worry if you’ve never heard of it before. If you’re tired of 75 Hard/Soft, then this could be the new challenge for you. 

“The Winter Arc trend has become very popular on TikTok and across social media in the last few months as we move into winter," explains fitness, nutrition and wellness expert Penny Weston. 

It started as a way to ‘lock in’ for the last few months of the year instead of slowing down before the new year as many people tend to do.

 And it’s a great idea: instead of waiting until January 1st to begin your fitness or weight loss journey, you can get a jump start on it now, giving you a sense of accomplishment even in winter’s darkest, coldest days.

 “Most people tend to wait until the new year to start making progress towards their goals, but the ‘Winter Arc’ means you already have a head start to your journey before the new year begins,” Weston agrees. 

It seems a bit wishy-washy, is there a clear set of rules we should follow?

Unlike, say, 75 Hard, Winter Arc doesn’t have a clear set of rules, which is both good and bad. It’s good because you’re free to do whatever you like and possibly bad because it might mean you’re lacking structure and motivation – especially if you’re quite new to fitness.

Weston doesn’t think you need to worry, though. “There’s no exact set of rules to follow when it comes to the ‘Winter Arc’,” she says. “The general ‘rules’ to follow are to commit to refocusing your daily habits and routines so you are ‘ahead’ of the ‘new year, new me’ mindset. This could be anything from wanting to kickstart your fitness journey, weight loss journey or just wanting to make healthier choices for your overall wellness.”

In other words, it really is up to you to design personalised, achievable fitness goals. And because it takes place across a relatively small time frame when there isn’t much else to do but binge Netflix, it’s easier to stick to your guns, too. 

“Because the months from October to January tend to be bleak and dreary, you can use this time to lock in on your goals and habits to work towards the lifestyle you want to achieve,” enthuses Weston. 

What are the benefits? 

Setting a fitness goal of any kind has proven benefits. In fact, one study found that you’re less likely to drop out and more likely to commit if you’ve set goals. What’s more, you’re also more likely to make healthier dietary choices. 

Meanwhile, another study found that having measurable goals bound by time commitments can help drive improved wellness. In other words, with just a few months to work in, you’re more likely to stick to your goals, while progress pictures and workout metrics from your smart watch can help you visualise your progress, which further helps to keep you on track. 

Then there are the mental benefits.

“I think it’s great to see people turning the drearier months into something positive,” says Weston. “The colder weather and shorter days tend to make people feel more sluggish and make worse decisions for their health and wellbeing, so I think it’s great to see people turning this around and using these months to really take control of their health and wellness.”

Weston also sees benefits in this being a social trend. “I think more people are likely to stick to it if they see that other people are going through the same thing,” she says. 

It’s similar to the benefits of group fitness classes in that you’re all in it together. In fact, one study found that “participation in regular group fitness classes led to a statistically significant decrease in perceived stress and an increase in physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.” 

With that in mind, why not suggest a Winter Arc in the group chat for added encouragement? 

Any downsides? 

Apart from having to exercise when you’d probably rather be sleeping – at least to begin with – Weston says the lack of clearly-defined rules might make it difficult to stick to.

“It might also result in people not being strict enough with themselves, or making rules that aren’t realistic and therefore finding it more difficult to stick to them,” she says. 

It’s important, then, to set realistic goals that aren’t too easy but that you won’t want to give up on as soon as the going gets tough.

Any steps we can take to help us stick to it?

Gymbox’s holistic and mind master trainer, Jess Parkinson thinks that when it comes to sticking to goals, having a clear outcome in mind can help us stay committed. 

“The desire to achieve something as well as the physical and mental energy to be able to do it can be a powerful tool for increasing motivation through goal setting, identifying barriers and working through challenges,” she says. 

If you’re feeling foggy after work and need to get in the right headspace for your Winter Arc workout, Parkinson recommends a five-minute journalling “brain dump” or meditation session to help clear the mind and get you in the mood. 

“This can have such an impact on our ability to feel more energetic and focused as they can help reduce feelings of fatigue,” she says, adding that Winter Arc needn’t be all or nothing.

“I'm also about listening to my body,” she says. “My self-improvement winter arc would be to appreciate each day, get outside during the day more and drink more water.”

It can be as simple as that.

Weston agrees you need to go your own way. “I would recommend creating realistic, personal goals. Don’t just do what someone else is doing online, create real goals that you know you can stick to by writing them all down in a notebook or piece of paper,” she advises. 

“Pick one or two bigger goals and break them down into smaller goals so they don’t seem as daunting,” she says. “For example, if your big goal is to lose 10 pounds, break it down into smaller goals that help you achieve this, such as staying in a calorie deficit or going to the gym three times a week.”

It’s also key to remember that trends come and go, and only really exist in our imaginations, while improving your fitness is actually a tangible, life-long pursuit. In other words, while it’s good to have a time frame, you don’t need to feel bound by reaching a certain goal by Jan 1st – or feel bad if you haven’t made it. Just keep going!

“The Winter Arc should be the beginning of your wellness journey rather than the entire journey,” says Weston.

And as always, it’s the journey that matters, not how long it takes. 

Words: Tom Ward